


Captains Outrageous

by Genie60



Series: Poldark Series 2- Dribs and Drabs [18]
Category: Poldark (TV 2015), Poldark - All Media Types
Genre: Avenging Demelza's honor, Cuckolding, F/M, Infidelity, Jealousy, M/M, Marriage, Poldark S2 filler, Ross's Idiocy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-10
Updated: 2017-02-10
Packaged: 2018-09-23 08:23:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9647951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Genie60/pseuds/Genie60
Summary: What if Ross actually did go and hunt McNeil down after finding out what happened with Demelza?





	

**Author's Note:**

> From a request by @MaxandMozart and Aidan's commentary on Episode 10. 
> 
> This is a quickie so I apologize for any errors, etc.
> 
> As always thanks and apologies to Winston Graham and Debbie Horsfield. I own nothing and owe them everything.

Demelza was upstairs packing and getting ready for her last minute trip to see Verity when she heard the door slam. She looked out the window and saw Ross riding off in the darkness. To Elizabeth, no doubt, she thought bitterly.  She tried to ignore the stabbing pain in her heart as she continued with her task.  She needed to get away and think about her marriage, her feelings and what she was going to do now.  Verity offered the perfect excuse to leave and Demelza took it.

Not more than a few minutes ago they stood toe to toe in the parlor, neither one withdrawing or apologizing for the words that were just spoken. Demelza had finally, after weeks of determination to not do so, revealed to Ross that she had almost fallen as he had done and been unfaithful.  And Ross has snapped.  But Demelza wasn’t sure if it was from jealousy or shame that she might have tarnished the family reputation. She reminded him that his “antic” had done that already by his visit Elizabeth.  She wasn’t planning on telling him what happened for two reasons: the first being that nothing had happened even remotely to match what he had done with Elizabeth; the second reason being that she was embarrassed in herself because she was so bound to Ross that she just couldn’t cast those feelings aside as much as she wanted and tried to. She just couldn’t betray her vows and give herself to anyone but him, even though it seemed he didn’t want her anymore.  Demelza’s restraint broke tonight when Ross still made his escapade with Elizabeth seem like some innocent lack of judgment that she should accept or at least understand considering his history with the other woman.

So that’s how they ended up at a standstill, doubting the trust they had in each other and wondering if there was a marriage left to fight for.  Ross left the room, presumably to go to his domain in the library and that’s when Demelza thought it best to give each other some space to decide the future of their family.   She called for Jud to bring down her trunks as she took one more look around her bedroom and wondered would she ever return here again. And if she did under what circumstances. She walked through the door and closed it behind her.

****~~~~****

After Demelza’s confession and their ensuing quarrel, Ross left her in the parlor to go and think. When he entered the library and saw his solitary cot, he wondered if this truly was the end of everything. Sitting down on the hard mattress he glanced at the trunk opposite him and upon opening found his old uniform. The uniform that he fought in when he left Elizabeth the first time; the same uniform that Dwight found him in and saved him the first time; and the uniform that he was wearing when he met Malcolm McNeil the first time.  The last reflection was the one that brought the sorest rub.  His comrade in arms was hell bent on becoming his wife’s bedfellow.  He had known that from the first time he came to the county and met Demelza when Mark Daniel killed his wife.  The admiration from the Scotsman was clear and he did nothing to hide it, even though Ross stood next to Demelza.

Since that first introduction, McNeil seemed to find any excuse to happen upon Nampara and Demelza.  This last one—the pretense of tending to a cow—was the ultimate in a ruse.  He knew it and he challenged Demelza to recognize it as well. It had led to one of many small spats over the past few years that quite possibly led to her attempt at infidelity.  _Don’t be more of an ass than you are_ he thought.  _You know why she sought out another man. Because you betrayed her with the one person she could never feel equal to. And you’ve done nothing to repair this rift except dump some coin in her hand.  How much more idiocy can you demonstrate?_

Realizing that he mucked up his life, his marriage and more importantly, hurt the one person who mattered more than anything in the world, he now contemplated joining up as Dwight was.  He took out the sword and pulling it out of its scabbard, saw that it was still polished and seemed quite sharp.  As he held it in his hand, his mind went back to what Demelza had told him which fueled his anger.  Earlier he was raging at his wife.  Why?  Ross originally thought it was because he was embarrassed that her indiscretion would have been seen and known by others sullying his name.  But he knew that wasn’t it. He knew that deep down she was telling the truth and that she hadn’t “offered” McNeil or anyone else freedom of her body. As much as Demelza was hurt she was true and steadfast and loyal to a fault and had unquestioning morals.  She couldn’t just lay with anyone, no matter what the circumstances might be.  His anger stemmed from a very basic emotion: jealousy.  Not just jealousy of his wife being pursued by another man.  Or should he say men since Hugh Bodrugan had been trying to cuckold him for years.  He was also jealous that his unschooled but highly educated wife was able to reign in her hurt and emotions and stop herself from betraying her vows.  Something he could not do.  Something he didn’t want to do.  Yet Demelza did and if he were honest with himself he was proud of her for bettering him in that vein.

Still, the thought that McNeil had kissed and touched his wife was more than Ross could deal with.  The vision of him, pawing at her, caressing her with his hands and mouth was making Ross physically ill.  He had to put the sword down and went to pour a glass of brandy.  He downed it quickly, letting it burn his throat.  Another image came to his mind as well.  It was the one of Demelza, the morning after he had gone to Truro to meet Richard Tonkin.  He had ridden home after a night filled with talk of Elizabeth’s postponed wedding, the future of the mine and a realization of what he wanted.  When he was told she hadn’t returned from the Bodrugan party, he was concerned. She would never willingly stay out all night and leave Jeremy.  Ross immediately went in search of her, taking Darkie along the cliffs towards Werry House which is when he saw her on the beach. From his perch he saw that she was still in her ball gown and wondered why.  Now it seemed to make sense. She must have fled trying to escape McNeil’s clutches. When he came face to face with her at the shoreline, he saw that she had been crying. The paint she must have used streaked and faded on her skin. Her hair and dress were disheveled but she didn’t seem to care and yet she was still so beautiful.  What exactly had McNeil done to her?  Ross didn’t know but he was going to find out. 

He knew Demelza was thinking of going to Verity’s but hoped she would wait a bit until they had a chance to talk again.  Ross wasn’t going to let this incident go without confrontation.  Not with her, for she was not the one he needed to deal with. He knew what he had to do  and so dressed quickly to ride back to Werry House in search of McNeil. He would hunt him down and avenge whatever wrong had been done to Demelza. As he rode in the night, he realized that was an ironic thought because the greatest wrong done to his wife was by his own action.  Ross didn’t dwell on that now and after he took care of McNeil, he would go find her to try and make amends. No matter how long it took because he would not give up.  As he approached the gates he wondered exactly what was going to greet him and how to handle this.  He’d never, in all his years, needed or wanted to fight another man for a woman. Not even Elizabeth. But this was different. This was Demelza. His wife.  His partner.  His soul mate. He would do anything for her and this was the least he could do.

Ross dismounted and tied the horse to a nearby tree.  He knocked on the door and a servant opened, leading him inside.  Hugh Bodrugan appeared, surprised to see his neighbor. He’d have much rather had seen his wife.

“Poldark, how can I help you?” the portly man asked.

“Sir Hugh I’m actually looking for Captain McNeil.  Can you tell me where he might be?  Is he still staying with you?”  Ross spoke quickly as he was out of breath.  His heart and mind were racing, formulating a plan as he waited for a response.

“Actually he is still a guest here but I believe he is out in the stables.” 

“Would you mind if I went out to speak to him?”  Ross fought the urge to run out of the room to find where the stables were.

“No, of course not. I’ll have my servant show you the way,” Bodrugan offered. 

“Thank you.  I’ll not bother you any longer,” Ross said and he turned to go.

“Shame you missed the ball, Poldark,” Bodrugan called after him.

 Ross stopped and swung back to look at the older gentleman.

“You’re wife was quite the hit at my party.  Had the eye of every man in the room and had to fight them off with a stick,” he said.

Ross’s interested was piqued as he wondered what Sir Hugh was getting at.  What was he really trying to say?

“Yes, many tried to get her attention that night. Even that lackey of Warleggan’s, Tankard.” 

Ross was now paying strict attention to what was being said. George’s lawyer was chasing Demelza?  That could not have been good and was most likely Warleggan’s idea.

“But McNeil was the lucky fellow who kept her quite occupied,” he said with a chuckle.

“Really?  Well I just came to see if he was leaving to join our regiment.  Wanted to know if they were looking for volunteers.”

“Thinking of rejoining Poldark?”

“Possibly.  But I’ll not keep you any longer.  Have a good evening,” Ross said and hastened his way out. 

Ross followed the servant around the house to the stables.  Once there he saw the outline of McNeil and waiting for the servant to depart, quietly entered the structure.  Ross stood by the door and watched him as he brushed his steed and seemed to be humming some tune.  As he stared at his old army mate, he wondered if Demelza had really wanted to be with this man.  He knew why McNeil would want to be with Demelza.  She was beautiful, funny, kind and as Dwight had said, remarkable.   Thinking about his wife he wanted to get this over with and go find her.

“Captain McNeil!” he called and stepped further into the area, a candle sconce lighting his face. 

“Who’s there?” the soldier asked.  Ross stayed where he was as McNeil made his way towards him.  As he came closer, McNeil recognized his visitor and stopped where he was.  He was startled and wondered what the man was doing here.  “Captain Poldark?  What are you doing here at this hour?”

Ross moved slowly towards McNeil, the urge to punch him getting stronger as he envisioned this man with his wife. He needed to hear from his mouth exactly what had happened.

“I came to see you.  I understand you and my wife had an interesting encounter when she was here for Sir Hugh’s ball.”

McNeil was caught off guard as he didn’t expect that little Mistress Poldark would have told her husband what happened between them.  And for his part, McNeil wasn’t too proud about it either.  It was the first time a woman had rebuked his attentions. 

“You could say that.  You’re pretty little wife was quite a tantalizing creature Captain.  She had all the men dazzled that night as she was clearly the most beautiful woman in the room. Even Margaret Vosper was jealous of her presence offering competition for the male population.” 

McNeil smiled as he spoke, making Ross’s blood boil.  No one had ever spoken about Demelza as he was; comparing her to the county whore.  He’d let him continue a few minutes more before he took him by the collar and wrung his neck.

“I see.  And so you felt entitled to take advantage of her kindness?  Is that how you ended up in her room?”  Ross was extremely calm and spoke in a stilted way.

“Actually Captain, you pretty wife invited me to her room.  And I, having been teased by her all night, wasn’t going to pass on that.”  Now McNeil was clearly taunting him and Ross knew it.

“I suggest you watch your language, Captain.  I don’t take kindly to people speaking about my wife as if she were….” Ross halted his thought. 

“I can imagine.  Was I correct in overhearing George Warleggan tell his servant that she was a scullery maid?  Who would have known?  Her carriage and manner were certainly that of a fine lady; even if she was a lady who was obviously unhappy at home.”

Ross moved another step closer to McNeil, coming into full light at this point so that the esteemed Captain could see the wrath he was harboring.  Ross noticed that out of his uniform, McNeil did not cut such an impressive figure.  He seemed small and ordinary and Ross was sure he could take him easily.

“Funny though, Demelza, when she invited me up to her room, was eager to continue our flirtation of the night. She told me that you had betrayed her with another woman and that she thought she should to the same. Naturally I was eager to help her in this endeavor.”  Now McNeil had turned smug, dragging out Demelza’s name as he said I and Ross bristled at that familiarity. 

McNeil saw that Ross was getting more upset at the details of the night but that didn’t deter him from going on with his tale.

“I have to say Captain Poldark, with a wife as sweet and tempting as Demelza, you must be insane to look for pleasure elsewhere,” he said, his tone incredulous and questioning. 

 “It’s none of your concern what went on between my wife and me.  What is your concern is what did you do to Demelza?  Why did she leave this party in her dress, looking as if she’d been attacked? For so help me if you forced your attentions on her, and tried to take what was not yours….”

Ross heard the words coming out of his mouth and again felt ill.  What he was accusing this man of was exactly what he had done to drive Demelza to this desperate act wasn’t it? If there were ever a more arrogant or idiotic man, he didn’t know who that was.  That character flaw was something that he would have to deal with later with Demelza. Right now he needed to know why his wife was walking on the beach looking as if she’d met a footpad.

 “Well, McNeil?  Tell me what happened between you and my wife.” Ross was not going to use her name again in this man’s presence.  He would know who she was and who he had tried to debauch.

“What did Dem—your wife, tell you?” 

“She told me that after inviting you to her room and after you had tried to make love to her she sent you away.  Is that the truth?  Did you hurt her?”  Ross was angry but he was more worried at what McNeil would say.

McNeil was apparently ignoring Ross’s question as he continued with is recounting of that night with his wife.

“She told me that her name meant ‘Thy Sweetness’.  Well she was aptly named.  I can still taste her honey-skin on my lips.  If anyone was hurt Captain it was me. She worked me up all evening, let me kiss and fondle her and then, because of some sudden remembrance of morals, stated that she was bound to you and couldn’t give herself to any other man. It was then when she forced me to leave.  I’ve never met a woman who changed her mind as she did.”

Ross listened and after hearing how McNeill had tried to have his way with Demelza’s body was grateful that she was able to stop him from advancing. He was also reminded of his wife’s deep love and devotion to him and their marriage, something he never should have doubted when she told him what happened.  And something he should have remembered himself that night he went to Trenwith. He knew that she would never offer all of herself to another man.  In all the years they’d been together, she dealt with every man who flirted with her and he never once questioned her. Perhaps it was because of what he had done that he thought she’d take the same route.  What a fool he’s been.

“Well if you knew my wife, you’d know that she is of a set mind and once a decision is made you can’t really change it.  It’s too bad that you were left in discomfort, but in truth, I’m not surprised. You see Captain, Demelza might flirt and enjoys men’s attentions but she is more often headstrong and stubborn and kind and generous. She’s also my devoted wife.  And I must thank you for telling me what happened as it puts things in a perspective.” 

McNeil relaxed a little as he could see Ross had calmed down from when he first entered the stable. He was about to turn his back to finish caring for his horse when he felt a pair of strong arms grab him, spin him around as a fist connected with his jaw. McNeil crumbled to the floor landing in a pile of straw, littered with manure.  As Ross looked down at him he thought it was appropriate.

“I also know that I shouldn’t have hit you but no one speaks of my wife as you have and doesn’t face ramifications.  I am no longer a commissioned officer and you, my friend, are currently out of uniform.  So we are equals for the moment.  However, if you ever mention what happened between you and my wife, not only will I tell your commander how you assaulted a woman, I will personally kill you.  Is that understood?”

“Is that a threat Captain?”  McNeill spit out, rubbing his face and checking for blood.

“Yes, Captain, it is.  I will not have my wife talked about by you or anyone else. I’m not sorry you were left unsatisfied either. You should be grateful that she didn’t permanently maim you.  I’ve seen her take down bigger men than you, Captain.”

Ross let go of him and started to leave before stopping at the door to say one more thing.

“I understand you’re going back to war.  I wish you well. But don’t think about coming back here never contact my wife again.” 

McNeil was going to rebut that but thought twice about it.  He had seen Poldark in battle and knew that the man, if pushed would not think twice about attacking.  For the first time, Malcolm McNeil was looking forward to facing another kind of enemy.

Ross said nothing more but walked out of the stables, taking determined strides towards Darkie so he could head home, his mind full of thoughts on what to do next.  He knew that going to war was not the answer. Demelza was right that it would be running away. Ross needed to stay and fight for what he wanted which was her.  As he rode, he hoped that Demelza was still there but if not, he’d follow her to Verity’s and try to settle this.  He knew that she would not forgive him about his own act of recklessness yet but he could at least apologize for not believing her when she told him nothing happened with McNeil.  It was the least he could do. It wasn’t a solution but it would be a start.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to all who are reading these and commenting.....It's been a trip seeing all the love for these ficlets.


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